Harry's Irresponsible Babysitters
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: The Marauders are supposed to look after baby Harry for a day. Poor Harry... until Lily and Severus come to his rescue! Completely AU, child fic.


**Harry's Irresponsible Babysitters**

It was a bright but cold day at the beginning of October. For the first time since baby Harry had been born, Lily intended to leave the house all on her own, planning a trip to Diagon Alley together with her good friend Alice. James had invited Sirius to help caring for fifteen months old Harry.

"Don't forget to feed Harry at lunchtime, James. And don't forget to put on his coat and a hat in case you leave the house. And don't forget..." After the first sentence, James already tuned out and pondered what he was going to do with his best friend.

When Sirius arrived, he brought Remus and Peter as well as two other friends, Ben and Bob, with him. "Let's play Quidditch, Prongs," he shouted excitedly.

"Quidditch?" James asked confused. "I'm supposed to look after my son."

"That's all right; you can take him with you on your broom," Sirius explained, glancing over to the child that was peacefully sitting in his playpen, looking at a book.

Everyone agreed, and even Harry gave his Daddy an exciting look when James asked, "Do you want to fly with me on my broom?"

It was the first time the six young men were playing Quidditch together and they enjoyed themselves immensely. They built two teams with one Seeker, one Keeper and one Chaser each, playing one match against each other. After two hours of playing, James noticed that little Harry was fast asleep in front of him. However, another three hours later, the child woke up with a jolt when James suddenly went into a huge dive only to pull up a few meters above the ground.

Harry began to cry immediately, causing James to lean forward and ask, "What's wrong, little one? Watch out, Harry, we have to catch the Snitch. Can you help me find it?"

However, Harry didn't calm down whatever James told him, and ten minutes later, he gave up and landed on the ground. "I'm sorry, lads, I have to look after my son. Maybe we can play another time when Lily takes Harry with her."

Peter, Ben, and Bob left, and James, Sirius, and Remus returned into the house, pondering what Harry could want. "Maybe he's hungry," James suggested, remembering Lily's advice to feed their son. He quickly threw a heating spell on the plate that Lily had prepared for Harry and put the child into his child seat.

Harry's crying became more penetrating, and when James started to feed Harry, he shut his mouth close and wailed even more.

"Maybe his nappy is full," Remus suggested, and James pulled Harry out of his seat.

Harry's cries weakened a little while James carried him up the stairs into the nursery and changed his nappy that was bursting full. "Oh, thanks Moony, you saved the day!" James told his friend in relief, while he dressed his child again.

Harry decided to whimper, clinging to his Daddy, when James wanted to let him down onto the floor. "Now let's go and have lunch, Harry, won't we?" James cooed and carried the child down to the kitchen.

However, as soon as he placed Harry back into his seat, he began to weep and once more shut his mouth close.

"Maybe he's too warm. You could take his sweatshirt off; he's wearing a T-shirt underneath, isn't he?" Sirius suggested.

Glad for another idea what could be wrong, James did as he was told, and after an angry glance at his father, Harry began to sob, until his sobs turned into coughs.

"Maybe he's too cold," Remus spoke up. "Look, he has goose bumps."

James pulled the sweatshirt back over Harry's head, causing Harry to painfully tug his right ear for a minute until he began to wail vehemently.

"Harry, just shut up," Sirius told the child to no avail. "Maybe you could give him a calming draught, Prongs?"

James gave him a horrified look. "You can't give a baby a calming draught, Padfoot."

"Maybe he's sick," Remus tried to guess what could be wrong with Harry.

"Hmm, maybe, but does any of you know how to take a temperature? I have no idea; normally Lily looks after Harry, and he never got ill so far."

In the meantime, Harry had begun to sob silently. Suddenly, Lily entered the room and took in the three adults sitting on the living room floor with Baby Harry in the middle, his head resting on his Daddy's lap. She noticed immediately that Harry was crying, even if he didn't let out a tone. "Hey, sweetie, what's wrong?" she asked softly, taking the baby up on her arms.

Harry stopped crying immediately. "Ah, all the fuss just because he wanted his Mummy, the rascal," Sirius spoke up, annoyed.

"No, not at all," Lily replied sternly. "Has none of you even looked at the child? Look how he is shivering, how his cheeks are flushed, and his hair is sweaty and sticks to his forehead. Plus, he is burning up! What have you been doing with him?" she asked angrily. She pulled her wand out of her robe pocket and quickly conjured a thermometer, which she carefully stuck into Harry's mouth, while she was speaking to him in a soothing voice. "Let Mummy take your temperature, sweetie, and then we'll see what we can do to make you better."

Harry exhaustedly closed his eyes and stayed calm in his Mummy's arms. Finally, Lily took the thermometer out and gasped when she looked at it. "39.5; that's quite a fever; James, shall we take him to St. Mungo's? Or shall we try to contact Madam Pomfrey at Hogwarts and ask if she could look after him?"

"Hogwarts is better, Lily," James told his wife, already heading for the fireplace. However, instead of Poppy Severus appeared in front of the fireplace.

"Madam Pomfrey is not here, what's wrong?" Severus asked, and knowing that Severus had just passed the first healing exam on his way to the Potions Mastership, Lily quickly pushed James aside, explaining the matter to Severus, who came through the Floo immediately. He waved his wand at Harry several times before he explained, "He has an ear infection and a slight concussion; that's why his fever is so high. What have you been doing with the child?" He unobtrusively cast the Legilimens Charm on James, while his was looking at the man, and a minute later, he knew exactly what had happened. "Lily, I suggest that you come to Hogwarts with Harry, so that Madam Pomfrey can look after him. He needs absolute bed rest for about a week."

Lily and James agreed immediately, and Severus took Lily and Harry to Hogwarts with a Portkey. When Harry was fast asleep in his bed in the hospital wing, his belly full of potions that Severus had specially brewed for him, Severus showed Lily the memory he had seen in James' head.

"Oh my, they took the child out just in his sweatshirt to fly for hours; no wonder he caught a cold. And did he get his concussion because of the stunts James did on his broom?" Lily enquired, horrified.

"Don't worry, Lily, he will make a complete recovery," Severus said soothingly, carefully placing an arm around her shoulders.

During the following week, Poppy, Lily, and Severus looked after Harry together. Poppy taught Lily several useful Spells, and Severus spent much time playing with Harry after his lessons and talking to Lily in the evenings.

'_I made such a mistake_,' Lily thought, watching how Severus and Harry were laughing together. '_Sev would be a much better father to my baby_.'

"Some things are not remediable; however, others are, my dear," the headmaster's gentle voice suddenly penetrated Lily's ear and she saw Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall standing behind her, watching Severus and Harry amused.

**The End**

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I am not a native speaker of English. So please excuse my mistakes!_

_All recognizable characters belong to __Mrs. Rowling__, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


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